ULV – Ultra Light Vehicle Research Prototype

Ultra Light Vehicle - Ampson Board

CLIENT: HARDWIRE, LLC

Alternative Motive Power Systems was responsible for Hybrid Systems Integration Assistance (including wire harness design), overall Vehicle Control Architecture as well as Vehicle Control Programming.

The Army’s Ultra Light Vehicle (ULV) Research Prototype is a safe, capable, hybrid vehicle funded by the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD). The goal of the ULV project was to design, develop and build three identical lightweight tactical concept vehicles emphasizing occupant survivability while meeting four overarching primary research objectives:
TARDEC’s Ground System Survivability (GSS) group partnered with nontraditional defense contractors to bring to bear the full efforts of both. Solutions balanced the objectives of weight, survivability and cost. This was a high-risk, high-reward scenario. And since the program moved at an accelerated pace – only 16 months from design to prototype – a process utilizing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies, with room for new and innovative developments, were employed.